Folks, let me pray before we dive into that wonderful passage. Let's pray together.
Father, we come before you this morning and we come before this passage and we have questions
and maybe we have other thoughts and worries. Lord, we ask that you would still our hearts
and that the words of my mouth and the reflection of all of our hearts would be pleasing to you.
We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, our rock and our redeemer. Amen.
Do you know the story behind the well-known older hymn, I have decided to follow Jesus?
Well, it came about like this. A family in a small town in India became Christians years ago.
And when the village found out that they had become Christians, they were outraged.
And they pulled them into the town square.
The chief of that town told the father to renounce Jesus or his whole family would be killed.
And the words that came out of his mouth that day were, I have decided to follow Jesus, no turning back.
And with those words, his children were killed.
Again, he was commanded to renounce his faith in Jesus.
But instead he said,
Though none go with me, still I will follow.
No turning back.
And with that, his wife was killed.
And then for the final time, this time with his own life in the balance,
the man was given the opportunity to renounce Jesus and live.
And yet what did he say?
The cross before me, the world behind me.
No turning back.
I have decided to follow Jesus.
And those were his last words.
Now the witness of that man and of his entire family as they suffered was the turning point for that entire village.
They saw that he was willing to suffer and die for his faith in Jesus.
And because of his devotion and love for Christ,
and his dying witness, and that of his entire family,
the people who killed him became Christians.
The only reason that man could stand in the face of such terrible suffering and persecution
was because he knew that he was not alone.
He knew that he was called by Jesus to deny himself,
to take up his cross and follow him.
But it's so easy for us to sing words like,
I have decided to follow Jesus, isn't it?
Words that are jam-packed with a desire to serve God and to give our all to him.
But do we really mean it?
Can we genuinely confess that our desire is to give everything to God?
See friends, the Christian life is costly.
Ask anyone who's been a Christian for any number of years,
and they will have stories of the cost of following Jesus.
Being a Christian is costly, but it is totally worth it.
This morning I want us to spend a few minutes in Luke 9,
particularly verses 23 to 26.
So it would be great if you have that passage open in front of you.
And I've chosen this because I want us to see that the life Christians are called to,
the life we're called to live, is costly but glorious.
And as we go into this new year,
this is a time where people often reflect on the year gone by,
and they plan to do things maybe a little bit differently in the coming year.
Wouldn't it be wonderful
if in this new year we as a whole church family,
as individuals as well,
decided to submit fully to Christ
in every area of our lives
and count the cost of following him.
This morning I want us to see that this message of hope and salvation,
that is the gospel of Jesus in the world,
is also a call to come and die.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German pastor and theologian
from a number of years ago, put it this way,
when Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.
We might think of death as only a negative thing.
But I hope that as we spend time in Luke 9,
we'll see that the death Jesus calls us to
is one that leads to glorious life,
true and lasting hope,
and an eternity that is beyond our wildest dreams.
Maybe this is your first time in church.
And you're investigating what this whole Christianity thing is all about.
Maybe you're a discouraged Christian who is weary of the daily battle.
Or maybe you're listening to this
and you're just really struggling
to find hope and meaning in this life.
As we look to the call to follow Jesus,
my prayer is that we would all be encouraged
encouraged and challenged at the same time.
So we'll look at these few verses
by thinking about three commands
and two reasons.
So the first thing we see in this passage
are three commands.
In verse 23, three commands.
So the three commands are to deny self,
to take up your cross,
and to follow Jesus.
Now in Luke 9,
Jesus asked his disciples
who they think he is.
Peter confesses in verse 20
that Jesus is God's Messiah,
the sent one from God
who would save God's people.
Peter is right,
even if he doesn't fully grasp
what he has just said.
And after that wonderful declaration of truth
that Jesus is God's Messiah,
Jesus says that he will be killed
by the chief priests
and the teachers of the law.
But on the third day,
he will rise again.
So the truth of who Jesus is
goes hand in hand with his death,
which is the means by which
he saves people
and therefore is fulfilling his role
as God's Messiah.
It's also a bit more than that,
isn't it?
Because Jesus,
after speaking of his own death,
turns to his disciples
and calls them to die too.
Read verse 23 with me.
Whoever wants to be my disciple
must deny themselves,
take up their cross daily,
and follow me.
And normally when you're trying
to enthuse people about something,
you start with the benefits first,
don't you?
For example,
if you're trying to convince
family members
to go on a holiday abroad,
you start by talking
about the lovely beaches,
about the warm weather,
the sunshine.
You don't talk about
the long flight.
You don't talk about
all the COVID tests
you've got to do.
You don't talk about
the quarantine on return
because you want people
to see the benefits
before they see the cost,
right?
Well, Jesus doesn't do that.
See, in the eyes of the world,
this is probably one of the worst
recruitment strategies
that exists.
Because Jesus says,
if you want to be
his disciple,
if you want to follow him,
you need to take up
your cross daily.
Now, to our modern minds,
that might not sound like much.
We don't have the same idea
of crosses today
as the first listeners did.
Today, a cross has become
a stylish accessory,
a nice necklace,
a bracelet,
or something like that.
But for these first listeners,
the cross meant only one thing,
death.
The cross was a means
of execution,
of punishment,
a sign of public humiliation,
and a visible reminder
never ever to cross
the Roman authorities.
All Christians are to deny themselves
and take up their cross
and follow Jesus.
All Christians are to
renounce our own plans,
renounce our own purposes
instead,
and follow Jesus,
to live for him.
And this isn't meaningless.
Jesus doesn't tell us
to do this just for fun,
or for some form of asceticism,
which is where we think
that this world or this life
don't matter at all.
No, Jesus tells us
to deny ourselves
so that we are enabled
and can follow him.
So the call
of the Christian life
is to deny self,
take up your cross,
to die to yourself,
and instead to live for
and follow Jesus.
To deny self
means to renounce
all the things
that would distract you
from Jesus,
to turn away from everything
that would cause you
to stumble,
and reject anything
that would demand
your worship
that is not Jesus.
It means that you are not
in charge of your life
any longer.
It means that you love Jesus
more than you love
the approval of others,
more than you love comfort,
more than you love life itself.
for some people
that means
leaving their home country
and comfort
that they've known
their whole lives
to go to a new place
and tell people
about Jesus.
For most of us
it means refusing
to go along
with our natural tendency
to sin.
It might mean
not engaging
in gossip
at work,
pulling the boss down
when he's not looking.
It might mean
denying ourselves time
in front of the TV
because we maybe
haven't read our Bible
that day
or prayed with the kids
before they go to bed.
Denying self
is hard.
It is going to be
a struggle
but as we'll see
in a moment
it is totally
worth it.
To take up your cross
means to be ready
and willing
to be opposed
for your Christian faith.
To be shamed
for holding
biblical views
that run
contrary to what
our current culture says.
to suffer
because you're
a follower of Jesus
and maybe
to die
because of your
allegiance to him.
To deny self
and take up your cross
means that Jesus
is more precious
to you
than anything else.
For the disciples
originally hearing this
it meant that they would
literally die
for their faith.
Church history
tells us how
most of them
were killed
for following Jesus.
for many Christians
in the world today
taking up their cross
really does mean
that they will be
executed for their
faith in Christ.
And we need to
consider that cost
and really be willing
to carry it.
A few years ago
my wife and I
spent some time
in the Middle East
and we were speaking
with a young
missionary family there
and he was asked
the husband was asked
by a group
aren't you afraid
to share the gospel
aren't you afraid
for your own life
that you might be killed
because you're here
and you're a missionary
where you're not allowed
to be.
And with dead seriousness
on his face
he looked at the group
and said
no
I consider the cost
of dying for Jesus
when I became a Christian
and nothing has changed.
carrying your cross
is a cost
that could lead
to death
and we must be aware
of that.
And the final command
is to follow Jesus.
This means to follow
his example
to walk in his footsteps
to live as he lives
brothers and sisters
you cannot separate
Jesus from the rest
of the Bible.
To be a follower
of Jesus means
to submit
to God's word
to live according
to it
in every area
of your life.
Following Jesus
means that you
intentionally live out
your faith
for him.
You need to be active
in your pursuit
of Christ.
Being a Christian
is not just about
coming to church
on a Sunday
to the Sunday services.
It means that
your entire life
the way you think
about things
the way you
interact with the ideas
of the world
and who you are
the way you live
is completely different.
You cannot coast
through the Christian life
but instead
we must intentionally
be becoming
more like Jesus
every single day.
So the call
of Jesus
is to die to yourself
and to live for him
and to be
like him.
Now maybe you're
sitting there
and thinking
well this all
sounds just a bit
too much for me.
This whole Christianity
thing is asking
quite a lot.
Maybe you're tired
and you're weary
and you're questioning
whether or not
Jesus really knows
what he's asking
of you.
Well brothers and sisters
Jesus knows
more than anyone
what it means
to carry a cross.
Jesus is the only one
who can call people
to deny themselves
and to carry
their cross
because he carried
a cross to his own
execution.
The place where he
bore the weight of sin
and God's wrath
so that sinners
like you and like me
could be made
right with God
and have life
in all of its fullness
so that we could live
the life we were
created to live.
Jesus went through
agony and death
so that we could
serve God
and out of our
devotion to him
have life.
There is great cost
in following Jesus.
There is no denying
that and as Christians
we need to be
upfront about that.
But there is also
great blessing.
There is true hope.
There is eternal life
spent in harmony
with God forever.
All of the suffering
we endure in this life
as we follow these
three commands
to deny ourselves
to take up our cross
and follow him
are completely worth it.
But maybe you are
still asking
well why?
Why should I do that?
Why should I give up
everything to follow Jesus?
What is in it for me?
That is exactly what
Jesus goes on to explain.
And the second thing
we see in our passage
the two reasons
why we should follow
Jesus' commands
in verses 24 to 26.
Two reasons.
Read those verses
with me.
Verse 24.
For whoever wants
to save their life
will lose it
but whoever loses
their life for me
will save it.
What good is it
for someone
to gain the whole world
and yet lose
or forfeit
their very self?
Whoever is ashamed
of me and my words
the Son of Man
will be ashamed
of them
when he comes
in his glory
and in the glory
of the Father
and of the holy angels.
So the two reasons
to follow Jesus' commands
are one
by losing your life
it will be saved
in verse 24
and two
Jesus will not be ashamed
of you
in the end
verse 26.
Now let's look
at those in turn
and see how these
are great reasons
and motives
to deny ourselves
to carry our cross
and follow Christ.
So verse 24 says
whoever wants
to save their life
will lose it
but whoever loses
their life for me
will save it.
That's the first reason.
Now here we get
a wake up call
which tells us
the reality
of how we respond
to Jesus
really matters.
Maybe you've been
flirting around
with Christianity
for a little while now
coming along
to church
saying and doing
the right things
but actually sitting
on the fence
not following Jesus
as you should
and as the Bible
says
or maybe you
are considering
Christianity
but you're
putting it off
for a more
convenient time.
Choosing Jesus
isn't something
you put off.
Too often
people reason
that they want
to live a little
before they become
Christians.
They want to go
out partying
have a few
sexual partners
and only after
that do they
maybe want
to become
Christians.
There is no
time to delay.
It is not
smart or wise
it is simply
deceiving yourself
and rejecting
Jesus to put it
off.
Jesus made it
abundantly clear
that a day is
coming where he
will judge the
world.
All those who
call on him
all those who
deny themselves
take up their
cross and follow
him will be
saved.
Meaning that
people, those
Christians will
spend eternity
in the presence
of God in
perfect harmony.
No more pain,
no more suffering,
no more death
and no more sin.
The place often
referred to as
heaven.
But those who
reject Jesus will
lose their souls.
Meaning that they
will spend their
eternity under the
just wrath and
judgment of God in
the place we call
hell.
the path of
denying self,
the path of
carrying your
cross, the path
of following Jesus
leads to eternal
peace and union
with God and the
path of self
pleasure, of
self-centeredness,
of self-worship
leads to separation
from God and
judgment.
The things that we
see in this world,
in this life, are
temporary.
They are fleeting,
running after them
may satisfy for a
moment or maybe
even a day or a
week or a few
months.
But one day it
will all be gone.
And on that day
the question won't
be, well how big
was your house?
How much money did
you have in the
bank?
The question will
be, how did you
respond to Jesus?
Did you live for
him or not?
The decision that
Jesus gives people
in verse 24 is
whether they accept
or reject him,
which has eternal
consequences.
And the same is
true today.
Will you accept
Christ and be
saved or reject
Christ and be
lost?
By denying
yourself and
carrying your cross
and following Jesus,
you are putting him
first.
You are submitting
to his will.
Submitting to the
word of God and
following Jesus with
everything you have.
As Bonhoeffer said,
when Christ calls a
man, he bids him
come and die.
You cannot gain
resurrection life,
true life,
without first of all
dying to yourself.
And Jesus reiterates
that in verse 25.
Read it with me.
What good is it for
someone to gain the
whole world and yet
lose or forfeit their
very self?
So you can have
everything in the
world, but it is all
worthless if in the
end you lose your soul.
Jesus isn't saying
that you gain salvation
by denying yourself.
A person is only saved
through Jesus.
but he is saying
there is no point
gaining the world
and losing your soul.
Now Jim
Kerry, an actor
and comedian,
has a net worth
of over
180 million
dollars.
He is arguably
someone who has
gained the world.
But he said this,
I think everyone
should get rich
and famous
and do everything
they have ever
dreamed of
so that they can
see it's not
the answer.
See, the place
to find life
is not in this
world.
It is only
in Jesus.
The one
through whom
we are saved.
The one who
calls us to
deny ourselves,
take up our
cross and
follow him.
Jesus calls us
to die so that
we can truly
live.
And the second
reason Jesus
gives for people
to deny themselves,
to take up their
cross and follow
him,
is so that
on that final
day,
as we all
stand before
God,
Jesus will not
be ashamed of
us.
Read verse 26
with me.
Whoever is
ashamed of me
and my words,
the Son of Man
will be ashamed
of them when he
comes in his
glory and in
the glory of
the Father
and of the
holy angels.
Everyone who
rejects Jesus
and does not
honour or put
their faith in
him,
as they stand
before God on
that final day,
Jesus says
he will be
ashamed of
them.
The assumption
here is that
those who have
gained the
whole world
in verse 25
think that by
doing so,
their souls
will be saved.
They think
that they can
do enough
or be good
enough to be
right with
God.
But Jesus
says that the
pursuit of
things in this
life,
at the neglect
of following
Jesus,
will result in
him being ashamed
of you on
that final
day.
Think of it
like this,
when a person
stands,
dies and they
stand before
God,
on that final
day as all
their thoughts,
all their
actions,
everything they've
ever done or
thought or said
in this life is
displayed on a
big screen in a
courtroom before
God.
It is very clear
that they are
guilty of sin,
they have broken
God's law and
therefore deserving of
God's wrath.
Every single one of
us has done
that.
But for the
Christian,
Jesus steps in
and he says,
paid for.
That person is
mine.
I was broken
for them.
I bore their
punishment on the
cross.
And Jesus took
the Christian's
sin and shame
on himself
and gave us
his righteousness,
his right
standing before
God.
But for the
person who
rejects Jesus,
for the
person who
refuses to
deny themselves,
to take up
their cross and
follow him,
Jesus stands
there as
judge.
Those who are
not disciples of
Jesus will lose
their lives and
he will be ashamed
of them on that
day.
And there are
people who have
all the knowledge
of the Bible
and of Jesus
that they need
to be saved,
but they are not
willing to submit,
to deny themselves,
take up their cross
and follow him.
They are ashamed
of following
Jesus.
And that's the
warning.
If that is you,
if you are ashamed
of Jesus in this
life, he will be
ashamed of you
in the end.
And why is this
such an important
message for us to
hear this morning?
Well, because
Jesus is saying
to each one of us,
come and die
with me daily.
Live for me
daily.
Deny yourself
and I will
satisfy you in
ways that you
cannot begin to
imagine both now
and forever.
It's an important
message for us to
hear because the
call to be a
radical disciple of
Jesus is the call
to die.
And through that
death, we discover
the fullness of
life that humanity
was created for.
Brothers and
sisters, do not
let a day go by
where the world is
more important to
you than Jesus
is.
Charles Studd was
a cricketer
turned missionary
to China from
many years ago.
And he loved his
wife, but taking
Jesus' words in
Luke 9 seriously
into his marriage,
he encouraged
his wife to say
a short prayer
every day that
would help her
focus on Jesus.
So every day she
prayed, dear Lord
Jesus, you are to
me dearer than
Charlie ever could
be.
And that is
how we live out
our identity as
radical disciples.
As men and
women who put
Jesus as our
priority in every
single day, it's
how we deny
ourselves, take up
our cross and
follow him.
Why not start
each day this
week with a
short, simple
prayer, dear Lord
Jesus, you are to
me dearer than
this life ever
could be.
I think back to
that family in
India who are
behind the song
I've decided to
follow Jesus, they
lay everything on
the line.
They gave their
lives because Jesus
was more precious to
them than the life
that they lived.
They didn't know
what would come from
their deaths, but
that entire village
was one for Christ
as they willingly
denied themselves,
took up their
cross and followed
Jesus until their
dying breath.
following Jesus is
the greatest
privilege there is
in this life.
Do not waste
time.
Do not run to the
fleeting things of
this world, but
instead listen to the
Savior who calls you
to die so that in
him you can truly
live.
Let's pray together.
Heavenly Father, we
thank you for sending
your son Jesus Christ.
Christ, we thank you
for the salvation that
he has made possible
through his death on
the cross.
And Lord, I pray that
you would give us all
strength as we reflect
on this coming year to
make that decision, to
die to ourselves every
day so that we can
live and follow you
with all of our
strength.
Lord, give us the
ability to do so by your
Holy Spirit and would we
bring you all the glory
and honor.
In Jesus' name, amen.